No. 16 Liberty will welcome Yale for a Saturday afternoon field hockey contest. The game will begin at 1 p.m. at the Liberty Field Hockey Field.

The Lady Flames enter the weekend with a 3-0 mark and have moved up four spots (from No. 20 to No. 16) in the Division I Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) National Coaches Poll, released Tuesday. Liberty went 2-0 last weekend and shut out both of its opponents.

Last Friday, the Lady Flames blanked Richmond 3-0, followed by a 5-0 shutout of Lafayette on Sunday. Through three games, Liberty ranks No. 1 in the nation in goals-against-average (0.33) and scoring margin (4.00), No. 2 in shutouts per game (0.67), No. 3 in goals per game (4.33) and scoring average (4.33), No. 4 in points per game (11.67) and save percentage (.889) and No. 7 in assists per game (3.00).

Yale enters Saturday's match with a 1-1 mark. The Bulldogs opened the season last weekend with a loss to UMass (4-1, Friday) and a victory over Sacred Heart (4-0, Sunday).

Lady Flames News and Notes

Liberty freshman forward Daniella Rhodes was named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week by the conference, Monday afternoon. Rhodes tallied a BIG EAST-best five points in two games, last weekend, and ranks tied for fourth in the country in points per game (3.00). Rhodes has now received BIG EAST Freshman of the Week honors each of the first two weeks of the season.

Yale topped Liberty 1-0 in overtime in the first-ever meeting between the two schools on Sept. 24, 2017, in New Haven, Conn.

Last Friday against Richmond, senior goalkeeper Allison Schaefer recorded her program-record 10th career shutout. Schaefer went on to record her 11th career shutout in Sunday's victory over Lafayette and currently leads the nation in goals-against-average (0.33). She is also third in the country in save percentage (.889).

Through three matches, the Lady Flames have featured seven different goal scorers, led by three goals apiece from Rhodes and midfielder Alivia Klopp.

Liberty featured three players on the preseason All-BIG EAST team: junior defender/midfielder Ashley Dykema (preseason Defensive Player of the Year, All-BIG EAST team), junior forward/midfielder Jill Bolton (All-BIG EAST team) and senior goalkeeper Allison Schaefer (All-BIG EAST team). The Lady Flames were picked to finish second in the conference, behind only UConn.

In order to align with International Hockey Federation (FIH) format, the NCAA has made its regulation matches consisting of four 15-minute quarters starting this season. Up until this year, NCAA field hockey contests were made up of two 35-minute halves.